The young North Carolina State players likened the 22-point victory to a success, given the team had a week layoff from games because of final exams.

The reaction of Wolfpack’s floor general, though?

“I think we played a little lax at the end and we can’t do that against good teams,” Lorenzo Brown said, “because they could make a run at any time and probably beat us.”

That’s more like the type of reaction coach Mark Gottfried wants from his team and point guard, especially with Stanford — coached by former Duke star and assistant coach Johnny Dawkins — coming to PNC Arena tonight.

After Brown’s All-AtlanticCoast Conference preseason recognition, the junior has had a somewhat hot-and-cold start to his season. Highlights include 10-assist games against then-No. 3 Michigan and Massachusetts, along with an 18-point game against UNC Asheville.

But the lowlights consist of a 6-point, 7-turnover output against Oklahoma State while being worked over by freshman Marcus Smart and a season-long 37 percent field goal mark before Saturday night’s game against NorfolkState.

Then Brown shot 7-for-8 against NorfolkState to finish with 16 points and seven assists, and drew Gottfried’s praise in the process.

“His shooting percentages haven’t been that good, but he’s a much better shooter than that,” Gottfried said. “He hasn’t made too many 3s this year and I think he’s a pretty good 3-point shooter.”

Brown has only made three 3s this season after making 27 last season.

His primary focus isn’t on scoring, though. With the firepower that comes from C.J. Leslie, Richard Howell, Scott Wood, Purvis and Warren, Brown sees his position as one of facilitator.

“I just tried to stay focused and get everybody involved as much as possible,” Brown said of Saturday night’s game. “That’s my job on this team, is to get everybody involved and make the right plays.

“I’m not worried about scoring as much. We have five other players on this team who are pure scorers and I think it’s my job to get those guys open.”

But that isn’t to say that Gottfried wants Brown to take a backseat in the scoring category.

“He needs to score for us. I don’t want point guards who can’t score at all. That doesn’t help your team,” Gottfried said. “He’s got to be able distribute the ball, run your offense and score, which I thought (Saturday night) he was pretty good with that.”

Recently, Gottfried and his point guard have found the common ground between being the orchestrator while picking the right times to score.

That aspect is a change from the first few games of the season.

“I thought early in the year he tried to do too much at times,” Gottfried said. “He was driving and really ending up with some tough shots. I think he’s really running our team better lately. It’s made our team better.”

And when Brown stands out, as he did against Norfolk State, his teammates take notice.

“We’re one of the best teams in the country when (Brown is) playing like that,” Purvis said.

Tip-in:N.C. State freshman T.J. Warren was named the ACC Rookie of the Week on Monday for the second time this season after his 22-point performance Saturday night. He was ranked third in the country with a field-goal percentage of 69 percent entering Monday’s games.